The Quick Parenting Assessment (QPA), developed at Vanderbilt University, is a brief, non-stigmatizing approach to support parents. Pediatric health care providers are missing opportunities to support parents' use of healthy discipline. The tool helps health care providers give parents the right level of parenting support. The QPA can be used in pediatrics for children ages 1 to 10 years during well-child visits and for behavioral assessments. Pediatric providers can efficiently learn how to use the QPA via a printable PDF or a 20-minute training module (see Downloads below).
The QPA is designed to improve children’s socioemotional health, improve family relationships and prevent disease. Exposure to unhealthy discipline is associated with many mental and physical health problems including child abuse, violence, depression, drug use, suicide attempts, heart disease, lung disease and obesity. In a validation study, children with elevated QPAs were nine times more likely to have behavior problems compared with children with low QPAs. An important step to improve children’s socioemotional health and decreasing rates of disease is to ensure that all parents are using healthy discipline strategies. To our knowledge, the QPA is the first validated parenting assessment tool to be integrated into pediatric primary care and the first to assess parenting behaviors of caregivers who may not attend the clinic visit (e.g. fathers, grandparents). A parenting assessment can increase discussions about healthy discipline in pediatrics and change parents' plan to discipline. A BMJ Global Health Case Report describes how screening for parenting in primary care has implications for 1) supporting parents in their use of healthy discipline, including parents who do not attend the clinic visit, 2) improving family relationships and 3) improving global health.
The QPA can be used as a stand-alone screening tool, or combined with the Pediatric ACEs Algorithm, a more comprehensive ACEs screening instrument that screens for other childhood stressors and parents' stressors. For use of the QPA, commercial or non-commercial, see page 1 of the QPA Instructions (PDF).
To discuss options for using or studying the QPA in your setting, contact Dr. Seth Scholer (SethScholer@vumc.org).
Downloads
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Manuscripts
Chai TS, Evans AH, Benningfield MM, Scholer SJ. Two-year outcomes and feedback after a parenting assessment is integrated into primary care. BMJ Global Health Case Reports. 2026
Carr V, Whitney A, Antoun J, Carlson K, Stoppelbein M, Slaughter JC, Scholer SJ. Parent perspectives on the integration of a parenting assessment tool into pediatric primary care. Acad Pediatr. July 2026.
Wee S.E., Dietrich M.S., Adkins A. et al. Missed Opportunities to Support Parents' Use of Healthy Discipline. Child Abuse and Neglect. (2025).
Cooke A., Attar T., Carr V. et al. Integrating a Parenting Assessment into Practice: Pediatric Providers' Time and Perspectives. Matern Child Health J (2024). [Full text]
Sausen K.A., Randolph J.W., Casciato A.N., Dietrich M.S., Scholer S.J. The Development, Preliminary Validation, and Clinical Application of the Quick Parenting Assessment. Prev Sci. (2021). [Full text]
Presentations and Abstracts
McMahon EL, Mellin KM, Sullivan C, Mercer G, Nguyen K, Dietrich MS, Scholer SJ. Associations Between Parenting Behaviors and Child Mental and Behavioral Health Outcomes in a Longitudinal Cohort. Accepted for Oral Presentation. Pediatric Academic Societies Meeting 2024. Toronto, Canada.
Carr V, Whitney A, Xu M, Slaughter C, Stoppelbein M, Carlson K, Scholer SJ. Parents’ Interest in Discussing How to Discipline Their Children in Pediatric Primary Care. Poster Presentation. Pediatric Academic Societies Meeting 2023. Washington D.C.
Whitney A, Carr V, Antoun J, Xu M, Slaughter C, Stoppelbein M, Carlson K, Scholer SJ. Association Between Reviewing a Parenting Assessment and Discussions about Discipline in Pediatric Primary Care. Pediatric Academic Societies Meeting 2023. Washington D.C.
Lawson V, Whitney A, Antoun J, Henkhaus L, Stoppelbein M, Carlson K, Scholer SJ. Parents are Receptive to a Novel Parenting Assessment Tool Integrated into Pediatric Primary Care. Poster Presentation. Pediatric Academic Societies Meeting 2022. Denver, Colorado.
Antoun J, Lawson V, Whitney A, Carlson K, Stoppelbein M, Scholer SJ. The Effect of a Brief Parenting Assessment on Parents' Plans to Discipline. Poster Presentation. Pediatric Academic Societies Meeting 2022. Denver, Colorado.
Lawson V, Whitney A, Antoun J, Cooke A, Carlson K, Stoppelbein M, Jana L, Scholer SJ. Addressing ACEs by integrating a parenting assessment into pediatric primary care: time, costs, and impact on a practice’s finances. Poster Presentation. Pediatric Academic Societies Meeting 2022. Denver, Colorado.
Cooke A, Carlson K, Stoppelbein M, Scholer S. Clinicians’ Perspectives on Integrating a Parenting Assessment Tool into the Well Child Visit. Poster Presentation. Pediatric Academic Societies Meeting 2021. Virtual meeting.
Schrunder-Gomez S,Hanna B, Dietrich MS, Scholer SJ. Associations of Sociodemographic Characteristics with a Brief Parenting Assessment. Poster session. Pediatric Academic Societies Meeting. Philadelphia, PA, May 1-5, 2020 (meeting canceled due to COVID-19 outbreak).
Zaky M, Masciale M, Adkins AW, Gigante CI, Dietrich MS, Scholer SJ. Brief Parenting Assessment Associated with Child Mental Health Referral. Poster session. Pediatric Academic Societies Meeting. Philadelphia, PA, May 1-5, 2020 (meeting canceled due to COVID-19 outbreak).
Valentine A, Dietrich, MS, Taylor C, Scholer SJ. Screening for Unhealthy Parenting Behaviors in Pediatric Primary Care: Going Beyond the Presenting Parent. Platform session. Pediatric Academic Societies Meeting. Philadelphia, PA, May 1-5, 2020 (meeting canceled due to COVID-19 outbreak).